With the crazy/bad-hair-centric American Hustle about to hit theaters, here are some movie hairstyles so scene-stealing, they should have won their very own Academy Awards.
By Evan Saathoff
When it comes to distracting hair in American Hustle, it's a real toss-up between Bradley Cooper's afro and Christian Bale's comb-over, the latter of which even gets its own scene. Cooper wins, but just barely, 'cause this is the Hangover dude in little white curlers.
More than his strangely logical psychology, his ruthlessness, or his unconventional weaponry, we identify Anton Chigurh by his weird pageboy. It's a strange choice, to be sure. To his credit, it somehow makes him more terrifying than he'd be with a simple buzz cut.
Yes, Javier Bardem has somehow become the poster boy for goofy movie 'dos. We could devote an entire gallery to him like we did Tom Hanks a few years ago, but his look in The Counselor deserves special mention. He looks like he just got electrocuted, or visited producer Brian Grazer's stylist.
Before we had Miley, Britney and Demi, it was seen as a big deal for Hollywood ladies to shave their heads. This was especially true in 1992 when Alien 3's penal colony plot line forced Sigourney Weaver to go bald (well, with a little stubble). She actually looks great without hair, while also lending gravitas to the severity of Ripley's increasingly hopeless situation.
Samuel L. Jackson may be the king of crazy hair on-screen. His Quentin Tarantino performances alone would net a few good entries. But his most distracting look has to be the weird, asymmetrical afro he wore in Unbreakable, which should have given away the film's twist ending as soon as we saw the guy.
People love when beautiful actresses ugly it up for a role. And Cameron Diaz gave it her all in Being John Malkovich with this huge, frizzed-out, uncomb-able rats' nest. Enh, we still love her.
If you're going to give a action movie hero a mullet, you better really go for it. And Hard Target goes for it. Jean Claude Van Damme's hair in this movie might be all business in front and party in back, but it's a greasy feast no matter where you look—which is, not away from the screen.
Absolutely everyone is in Oliver Stone's JFK. Even actors who weren't born yet show up for cameos. That in itself provides distraction. But the biggest distraction of all is when Tommy Lee Jones shows up with that cotton Q-Tip on his head. You can watch it over and over and not hear a single word his character says. (Hat tip to: Lincoln)
Sean Penn is one of those manly men, full of grit and swag. So it was a shock to see him rocking a silly perm in Carlito's Way, which seemed less about heated gangster battles and more about that perm's heated battle with an aggressive case of male pattern baldness.
That's actually a lion's mane draped over Cage's head. This modern He-Man look is so secure and iconic that Cage hardly needs to act in the film. His hair and dirty undershirt do most of the heavy lifting for him. And in this particular case, we are better off.
Use Apple Pay to get $5 off your order
Limited time offer, and limited quantities available. To redeem the offer, purchase one or more movie tickets on Wednesday 11/19, to see any film through Fandango.com or the Fandango iOS mobile app and use Apple Pay® as the payment method, and must enter the Fandango Promotional Code APPLEPAYWED (“Code”) in order to get the $5 off the entire purchase. There is a limited quantity of Code redemptions allowed in this promotion and therefore the offer is only available first come first served while supplies last. Code expires, and can no longer be used, upon earlier of Wednesday 11/19, or after the limit of Code redemptions have been reached. Only valid for purchase of movie tickets made at Fandango.com or via the Fandango iOS app and cannot be redeemed directly at any theater box office. If lost or stolen, cannot be replaced. No cash value, except as required by law. Void where prohibited. Not valid with any other offer. Offer valid in U.S. One-time use only per email address, for a maximum of one transaction, receiving a maximum of one $5 discount on the purchase total regardless of how many tickets were purchased in that one transaction. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Limit 1 Code per email address. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. The redemption of the Code is subject to Fandango’s Terms and Policies at www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies. Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payments Services LLC, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Neither Apple Inc. nor Apple Payments Services is a bank. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer. Apple Pay is a registered mark of Apple Inc.
Take one last trip to Oz with the For Good Collector’s Pack, featuring a Movie Ticket and a Limited-Edition Costume Sketch Poster by Paul Tazewell.exclusive sketch of Academy Award-winning designer Paul Tazewell’s original costume design!
*For Good Collector’s Pack is non-refundable. While supplies last. Domestic shipping will be added at checkout. Movie ticket is non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. You must be 18 years of age or older to purchase a bundle. The Poster Print will begin shipping in the month of November. Please use a physical address where the item can be delivered. Once carrier confirms delivery, Fandango is not responsible for lost or stolen deliveries. See full terms and conditions at https://redeem.fandango.com/products/for-good-collectors-pack . Universal Pictures Marketing and its affiliates are not sponsors of this bundle.
Buy tickets to see the film three times in IMAX, get a limited-edition Avatar: Fire and Ash print
Limited time offer. While supplies last. Log into your account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app between 6:00am PT on 11/17/25 and 11:59pm PT on 1/23/26 and purchase at least three (3) IMAX tickets to three (3) different IMAX showtimes of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ (purchases must be made in separate transactions). Purchaser will receive an email on 1/25/26 containing one (1) Promotional Code (“Code”) that is redeemable for one Avatar: Fire and Ash limited-edition IMAX print, while supplies last. Limited-edition print will ship in February. There is a limited quantity of Codes available in this promotion. Codes will stop being distributed on the earlier of (i) the Code distribution limit being reached, (ii) Avatar: Fire and Ash no longer being in theaters, or (iii) 11:59pm PT on 1/26/26. There is a limited quantity of Code redemptions available in this promotion. Code expires, and can no longer be used, when the limit of Code redemptions has been reached, or at 11:59pm PT on 2/1/26, whichever comes first. Limit one Code per transaction. You may have to pay taxes additionally. One-time use only. Void where prohibited. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. If lost or stolen, cannot be replaced. No cash value, except as required by law. Non-transferable. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Offer valid in the U.S. only. You must have, and be logged into, your Fandango account to receive a Code. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer is subject to Fandango Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at Terms and Policies at http://www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies.
Embark on a final journey to Pandora with the Collector’s Print Bundle, featuring one Movie Ticket and a Limited-Edition Print!
*Collector’s Print Bundle is non-refundable. Domestic shipping will be added at checkout. Limited time offer. While supplies last. Movie tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. You must be 18 years of age or older to purchase a bundle. The Collectible Mini Print will begin shipping in December. Please use a physical U.S. address where the poster shipment can be delivered. Once carrier confirms delivery, Fandango is not responsible for lost or stolen deliveries. See full terms and conditions at https://redeem.fandango.com/products/collectors-print-bundle.
Get the "Pandango Pin Bundle" and receive a Zootopia 2 ticket and an exclusive mystery pin of Nick and Judy, Flash or Gary!
*Pandango Pin Bundle is non-refundable. While supplies last. Domestic shipping will be added at checkout. Movie ticket is non-refundable and non-exchangeable. You must be 18 years of age or older to purchase a bundle. The Official Disney Exclusive Collectible Pin will begin shipping in the month of November. Please use a physical U.S. address where the item can be delivered. Once carrier confirms delivery, Fandango is not responsible for lost or stolen deliveries. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. See https://redeem.fandango.com/products/pandango-pin-bundle for full terms and conditions.
Let the games begins. Don’t miss all your favorite Superstars at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames!
Two elements, one world, double the points! Buy your tickets to Avatar: The Way of Water Re-Release and Avatar: Fire and Ash to get 2x FanRewards points*.
*Limited time offer. Log in to your account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app between 9am PT on September 19, 2025, and 11:59pm PT on January 4, 2026, buy a minimum of one (1) ticket to each of Avatar: The Way of Water Re-release and Avatar: Fire and Ash (the purchases do not have to be in the same transaction), and for each ticket you buy, you will receive double FanRewards Points (250 per ticket, instead of the usual 125) in your Fandango account -- 125 FanRewards Points per ticket will be posted to your Fandango account after your purchase, and 125 FanRewards Points per ticket will be posted to your Fandango account by January 9, 2026 if you qualify for this offer. You must be logged in to your Fandango account to receive and spend FanRewards Points. You must be logged in to the same Fandango account when you purchase your tickets to each of the three movies to qualify for this offer. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. When you receive 500 FanRewards Points, you will receive a $5.00 Discount Reward which you will need to convert into a Discount Promo Code for use on a qualifying purchase on http://www.fandango.com (which can be used on http://www.movietickets.com) or http://www.fandangoathome.com. Discount Promo Code expires 21 days after the $5.00 Discount Reward is posted to your Fandango account. Discount Promo Code cannot be combined with any other offer, promo code or discount. You may be required to pay taxes additionally. Discount Promo Codes cannot be used to purchase a gift card. After applying your Discount Promo Code, any unused balance will automatically expire. Void where prohibited. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer is subject to the FanRewards terms at https://www.fandango.com/policies/fanrewards-terms and Fandango’s Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at http://www.fandango.com/Terms-and-Policies.
Grab The Running Man Collectible Pack and receive a movie ticket and an exclusive collectible lenticular card mini-print!
*The Running Man Collectible Pack is non-refundable. While supplies last. Domestic shipping will be added at checkout. Movie ticket is non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. You must be 18 years of age or older to purchase a bundle. The Lenticular Card Mini-Print will begin shipping in the month of November. Please use a physical address where the item can be delivered. Once carrier confirms delivery, Fandango is not responsible for lost or stolen deliveries. See full terms and conditions at https://redeem.fandango.com/products/the-running-man-collectible-pack.
Buy a ticket to Keeper, get $10 off the Osgood Perkins Triple Feature bundle on Fandango at Home!
Limited time offer. Log into your account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app and purchase, between 12:01am PT on 11/14/25 and 11:59pm PT on 12/30/25, at least one movie ticket to ‘Keeper’. Purchaser will receive a post-purchase email containing 1 Fandango at Home Promotional Code (“Code”) that is good for $10 off the purchase of the Osgood Perkins Triple Feature bundle in My Offers in your account on http://fandangoathome.com and via participating Fandango at Home apps. You must have, and be logged into, your Fandango account to receive a Code. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. Code expires on (and must be used by) 1/3/26 at 11:59pm PT. Limit one per transaction. You may have to pay taxes additionally. One-time use only. Void where prohibited. If lost or stolen, cannot be replaced. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value, except as required by law. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Offer valid in the U.S. only (excluding U.S. territories and where prohibited by law). You must have a Fandango at Home account to redeem your Code on Fandango at Home. Fandango at Home is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to open a Fandango at Home account. Credit card may be required for transactions on fandangoathome.com. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer and redemption of the Code are subject to Fandango Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at http://www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies.
Buy a ticket to Rental Family for a chance to win a trip to Tokyo, Japan!
NO PURCHASE OR APP NECESSARY. Purchase does not increase chances of winning. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 years of age and older, provided, however, that Grand Prize winner must be 21+, or 18+ and accompanied by a guest that is 21+. Void where prohibited. Ends December 21, 2025, visit https://www.fandangomovietickets.com/tokyosweepstakes. Sponsor: Fandango Media, LLC, 10 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608.
Buy a ticket to Now You See Me Now You Don't, get $5 off the Now You See Me 3-Film Collection bundle on Fandango at Home!
Limited time offer. Log into your account on Fandango.com or the Fandango app between 12:01am PT on 10/29/25 and 11:59pm PT on 12/15/25 and purchase at least one movie ticket to ‘Now You See Me Now You Don’t”. Purchaser will receive a post-purchase email containing 1 Fandango at Home Promotional Code (“Code”) that is good for the purchase (and not the rental) of the Now You See Me 3-Film Collection bundle for $5 off in My Offers in your account on http://athome.fandango.com and via participating Fandango at Home apps. You must have, and be logged into, your Fandango account to receive a Code. Fandango is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to create a Fandango account. Code expires on (and must be used by) 12/19/25 at 11:59pm PT. Limit one per transaction. You may have to pay taxes additionally. One-time use only. Void where prohibited. If lost or stolen, cannot be replaced. Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. No cash value, except as required by law. Not for resale; void if sold or exchanged. Offer valid in the U.S. only (excluding U.S. territories and where prohibited by law). You must have a Fandango at Home account to redeem your Code on Fandango at Home. Fandango at Home is free to join; you must be 18 years of age or older to open a Fandango at Home account. Credit card may be required for transactions on fandangoathome.com. Fandango reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice. This offer and redemption of the Code are subject to Fandango Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy at http://www.fandango.com/terms-and-policies.
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